All Things 2023 NFL Draft

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GopherTheJugular said:
I dunno, I know Morgan had more success here, but I'd be willing to bet he doesn't even get the camp invite and opportunity that Leidner got.
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Morgan won't get drafted but he 100% will get a camp invite of some kind. Whether or not he can do enough to get on a roster where he can get paid a ton of money to hold a clipboard remains to be seen.
 

GopherTheJugular said:
"Preferred" Free Agent?

I agree with you on JMS not making it past the top of the 2nd, but I don't think Mo is getting drafted. He's more likely to get the obligatory invite the vikes gave to Leidner, but that's about it. I say UDFA and first round of cuts for him.

(I'm sure I'll incur the wrath of those that can't tolerate anything but praise for Gopher athletes, but oh well, we'll see who's right in a few weeks.)
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I don't know how it works, but if I'm getting it right, the classification of "preferred" free agent is that they are guaranteed a bonus while those falling below that category aren't. I don't know if there are limits and such, but I know that some guys get a bonus and some only get a try-out. I think what Brugler is saying is that someone will give Morgan a guaranteed bonus. It doesn't mean anything after that of course.

I mislabeled PFA. For Dane Brugler, PFA means "Priority Free Agent" not "Preferred Free Agent." I believe that means Brugler feels that Morgan will have a number of UDFA offers.
 
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mkAz said:
I’d be thrilled to see the Vikings pick Moe.

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Me too. Just not if Dalvin Cook returns. It would be tricky for him to get carries with Cook, Mattison, and Kene Nwangwu all on the roster.

If Mattison is RB1, Mo could be getting reps next year and be one hit away from starting on your fantasy football team.
 


fmlizard said:
If Mattison is RB1, Mo could be getting reps next year and be one hit away from starting on your fantasy football team.
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I get that people appreciate what he did for the U, but to finish out a college career with like 50 TDs and not even one came through the air? Every NFL team would sign someone off the street who caught passes in college before letting Mo be RB1.

If you're (most likely) slower than NFL linebackers (and probably slower than that 340 pound DT from Georgia last year that ran a 4.78 forty) and you have shown no ability to catch, you're not going to be RB1 on anyone's NFL team.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Morgan won't get drafted but he 100% will get a camp invite of some kind. Whether or not he can do enough to get on a roster where he can get paid a ton of money to hold a clipboard remains to be seen.
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If he gets a camp invite, I'll put a tagline on all my posts stating, "MNVCGUY knows more than I do" until the college season starts. Would you reciprocate that bet? ;)
 






GopherTheJugular said:
I get that people appreciate what he did for the U, but to finish out a college career with like 50 TDs and not even one came through the air? Every NFL team would sign someone off the street who caught passes in college before letting Mo be RB1.
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Good points. Is stat an indictment of Mo's receiving skills, or a limited offensive game plan? I don't recall any of our recent RBs handling much receiving work but I'm sure at least some can catch the ball and run routes.

RB passes are typically pretty simple plays that even high school teams can run effectively, so I wonder why the Gophers aren't doing more.
 









Tanner Morgan may not get drafted, but he had some ridiculous, statistical QB games, as we have ever seen.
 


Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota RB​

CFN 2023 NFL Draft RB Ranking: 11
5-8, 203, Projected Round: 6th

Why draft Mohamed Ibrahim: Blow off his lack of size. No one in the draft runs tougher or harder. Get him around the goal line - or give it to him on 3rd and 1 - and he’ll produce every time. He's the leader everyone wants.

Why not draft Mohamed Ibrahim: There’s no deep burst. Don’t expect him to do anything for the passing game, and don’t look for any home runs. He missed almost all of 2021 with a torn Achilles tendon - but not before ripping up Ohio State - and …

Mohamed Ibrahim, from the college perspective: He handled the ball almost 900 times for the Gophers, but he’ll be more than happy to pound away as long as you keep feeding him. He’ll be drafted late, get into a camp, and he’ll end up taking over a starting job over more flashy backs. The shelf life might be short, but it’ll be a great run.


Go Gophers!!
 


GopherTheJugular said:
I get that people appreciate what he did for the U, but to finish out a college career with like 50 TDs and not even one came through the air? Every NFL team would sign someone off the street who caught passes in college before letting Mo be RB1.

If you're (most likely) slower than NFL linebackers (and probably slower than that 340 pound DT from Georgia last year that ran a 4.78 forty) and you have shown no ability to catch, you're not going to be RB1 on anyone's NFL team.
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You’re not wrong on your take. Mo’s speed work against him. Catching the ball we don’t know, Gophers didn’t pass to the RB often. According to the reports from the practices at the East West game he looked very good catching the ball. This is one example:
985thesportshub.com

10 Shrine Bowl standouts who could become Patriots draft targets

The Patriots got a close-up look at some of the top prospects in this year's NFL Draft at the Shrine Bowl. Who stood out the most?
985thesportshub.com 985thesportshub.com
He also looked good at the combine catching the ball as well in position drills. So I’d say catching the ball is an unknown. I think many of us are optimistic about Mo because like me I’ve watched for 45+ years and he’s the best short yardage back that I can recall. Maybe Barber could be better…but man Mo is special at finding the hole and getting positive yards. Hope he makes it but if he doesn’t he’s still obviously a legend in Gophers history.
 


I can get used to seeing three or four Gophers getting drafted each year regardless of rounds.

The young pups in the Gophers' development program pay attention. Spend the equity of time and hard on getting better. In years three or four is where it will pay dividends. Boye Mafe is a good example. Forget about the star ratings from high school. What you have done to change your best is what will get you to new heights.
 
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Minnesota RB and Good Counsel High graduate Mohamed Ibrahim ready for the NFL Draft​


The Baltimore native broke several school records rushing for Minnesota Golden Gophers last season, including: 1,665 rushing yards, 20 rushing touchdowns, and 53 career rushing touchdowns. 2022 season was a great rebound after he suffered a torn achillies in 2021. In the time away from action Ibrahim learned more about himself and the game.

"Refocus on myself, finding self love. Then I fell in love with the game. Like I said before, I want to be a coach now. At first, I was just doing like for myself, doing it for my teammates. I just found the love of coaching. The fine little details of it, how one step can make the whole play go wrong. I want to be a coach now, run the running backs room, eventually become a head coach somewhere."

Ibrahim says he learned his work ethic from his parents, his father works back and forth between the U.S. and Africa, and his mother who played a major part in the family surviving an apartment fire when he was in high school.

My mom had to pull double shifts. She was working all day, she was just being tough. My mom never came inside the house, with her head down crying like that. She always brought up the energy. That taught me as a man like if you go through any hard situations, you got to find the bright side in it, and that's what I do with my injuries. That's what I do in life life in general.
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Graded as one of the top ten running backs available in the draft, Ibrahim is hoping there's a shot that he could return closer to home.

"I got to talk to some of those teams. To the Baltimore's. To the Washington's. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, you know, anywhere near Maryland will be a great spot for me. Anytime I talk to those type of teams, I give them my all just knowing that it might be a great chance to come back home."


Mohamed Ibrahim on the gridiron for Good Counsel High School. (7News)

Ibrahim is also letting teams know of what type of player they're getting.

"You're going to get a vet. Somebody that that loves the game, every every little little detail of it. You don't have to hold my hand. When I walked through that door. I'm going to be consistent, if I come out as a third down back, you're not gonna like pray and hope you don't mess up, you're not gonna have to worry about that. With me, it's going to be consistent, with what you see at practices you're gonna see in the game. I'm gonna look after my quarterback. I'm gonna stay on the sticks. I'm gonna break tackles I'm gonna do all that all that stuff as a running back needs to do so. So, I just go to every team team meeting, and I just tell them like hey, whenever you see me as I can do that, times 10."

wjla.com

Minnesota RB and Good Counsel High graduate Mohamed Ibrahim ready for the NFL Draft

Several local football players are hoping to hear their named called during this month's NFL Draft, including Mohamed Ibrahim.
wjla.com wjla.com

Go Gophers!!
 



Just read that Morgan had a pre-draft meeting with the Packers. Someone here posted that he had previously met with the Bengals. Probably a UDFA, but the visit shows that he has generated at least some interest on the part of the pros.
 

Minnesota Native Thor Nystrom who I really enjoy following for draft coverage put together a top 500 Rankings for NFL prospects. Numerous Gophers listed! Such a nice new normal compared to the early 2010's.

JMS #38 overall, #4 OL prospect
Terrell Smith #69 overall #11 CB
Mo #174 overall #15 RB
Jordan Howden #241 overall #19 S
Thomas Rush #366 overall #42 Edge
Tanner Morgan #384 Overall #19 QB
Mariano SM #461 overall #43 LB

Link to rankings: https://www.fantasypros.com/2023/04...board-top-500-prospect-rankings-player-comps/
 

I don't think Rush gets drafted, but he had an awesome pro day and came in with an RAS > 9. Probably a tweener in that he's too small to play DE in a 4-3 and may not have the requisite skills to fit in a 3-4 scheme, but his 4.57 40-time probably gets him into a camp.
 

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